


Salty Sweet

by perksof_beinga_fangirl



Category: KPOP NCT, KPOP NCT 127, Kpop - Fandom, NCT, NCT 127 - Fandom, Taewin - Fandom, Winwin - Fandom, taeyong - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-06 00:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15874692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perksof_beinga_fangirl/pseuds/perksof_beinga_fangirl
Summary: Sicheng is a foreign exchange student.Taeyong is a hard working dancer.When the two fall in love, everything is perfect. Until he leaves.Hello! This was originally posted by myself to Wattpad. You can find me @ svt-trash on the Wattpad website! :) <3





	1. {Chapter 1}

"Go on, introduce yourself." Taeyong smiled at the new guy. He was from China and had transferred as part of an exchange student system.

"M-my name is Sicheng," he replied in accented Korean. This kid would need help.

"Nice to meet you, Sicheng! I'm Taeyong, but you can call me Tae!" He held out his hand to the new student. Sicheng gingerly slid his hand into Taeyong's and shook lightly.

"Now, Mr. Woo told me, your first class is Mrs. Park, right?" The tall boy only nodded. "Alrighty! I'll show you to your classroom!" Taeyong gave Sicheng a small tour on the way, careful not to speak too quickly. The new kid didn't say much. Whether or not it was because he was shy or just didn't understand much, Taeyong couldn't tell.

Once they reached the classroom, Taeyong waved goodbye, leaving Sicheng wide-eyed and nervous. As he walked away, Tae could hear the teacher telling the class why they had a new classmate. Luckily, Mrs. Park was kind and soft-spoken. An easy teacher for an international student. Taeyong wasn't too worried for the new guy.

However, he was worried about his home room teacher. He had Mr. Kwon this year. A hard-ass with a vendetta against Taeyong and his friends. Nobody knew why either. Up until last year, Mr. Kwon had been a nice guy. Maybe he got divorced over the summer or something.

"And just where have you been, Lee Taeyong?" His teacher demanded.

"I was helping the new kid find his home room. I have a pass." Taeyong reached into his back pocket and pulled out a white slip of paper, words scrawled across, explaining the situation. He had barely started to hand it to the snarling teacher before having it snatched from him. Taeyong stood at the front of the room while the teacher scanned the note. Out of the corner of his eye, Taeyong could see his friends trying not to burst out laughing. What? Did he have something on his shirt? Was his hair sticking up? He just sighed. Taeyong didn't have time for their pranks today.

"Well, I suppose you're lucky this time. Have a seat, Taeyong."

Gratefully, he did as he was told. He didn't have a chance to ask his dumb friends what all the fuss was about. He would interrogate them at lunch. As the lesson crawled along, Taeyong found himself paying less and less attention until the bell finally rang.

The rest of the morning went by; something he didn't understand in maths, blowing stuff up in science, and finally lunch.

Ah, lunch. The room where all grades were packed together as close as possible so they could all moan over the disgusting cafeteria food and catch up on the latest drama all together.

Taeyong stood in front of his friend Jaehyun as they waited for their food.

Jaehyun nudged the back of his arm. "Hey, get me mine and I'll save your spot, okay?" Taeyong nodded. The menu today was orange chicken. Wait, that's from China. Sicheng! Taeyong had totally blanked! He peered over the heads of shorter students to look for the new kid. He spotted him standing near the back of the line. He looked like he was trying to make himself as small as possible. His height wasn't doing him any favors. Taeyong removed himself from the front of the line and walked to Sicheng's spot.

"Sicheng! How's your first day going?" Taeyong stood beside his friend, annoying the kid behind them. He didn't care.

Sicheng took a moment to reply. "It's easy, so far. And yours?" Taeyong assumed that this was actually a formality, so he didn't give a serious reply.

"It's alright."

"Just alright?" Sicheng tilted his head slightly and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah... Just alright. I won't bore you with details, man." And it was true. Taeyong wasn't having a particularly bad day, but it wasn't exactly good either.

"Taeyong, what's your favorite food?" Sicheng asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Hm.. Probably pizza or fried chicken. What's yours?" Taeyong grabbed a tray and handed it to the new kid.

"I don't have one." Sicheng's sentences were kind of choppy, but considering he's from China, he's doing pretty well. Taeyong just had to bear with him.

"Good answer. My turn to ask a question!" Taeyong said as Sicheng pulled his tray across the counter, food being plopped on top. "When were you born?"

"1997. And you?" They reached the end of the line. Taeyong looked around for Jaehyun and Ten. They were waving their arms wildly, signaling to their seats. Tae waved back.

"Oh me? I was born in 96. Do you see those too guys waving like madmen? Those are my friends. C'mon, I'll introduce you!" Sicheng just nodded. Taeyong wasn't sure how much he actually caught, but regardless, Sicheng followed quietly behind.

"Hey! New kid! Come sit by me!" Jaehyun clapped Sicheng's back in greeting. Sicheng smiled politely and sat.

"So. China. What's it like there?" Ten asked as the four boys began to devour their food.

"Uh, very, um, beautiful." He said between swallows.

"I see. I'm from Thailand. I love hearing about other countries. I hope to visit every continent some day."

"Ten, calm down. He probably doesn't understand what you're saying." Jaehyun nudged his friends foot with his.

Taeyong noticed that Sicheng's expression dropped a little after Jaehyun said that. He definitely understood what he said. Poor kid. Taeyong looked at Sicheng. Well, scrutinized. His dark brown hair wasn't styled much. Just parted down the side and flipped over a little. It was long enough to cover his eyes when he leaned over. Taeyong's eyes drifted from his hair to his eyes. They matched his hair, soft and chocolate brown. The boy's lips were pink and wide, though still very prominent. He was pretty good looking.

"Hey, earth to Tae." Jae snapped his fingers in front of his face. At this, Taeyong realized that Sicheng was staring right back at him. "You looked like a pretty girl walked by. Was it your crush?" He smiled mischievously. So he didn't notice that he was staring at the Chinese kid. Good.

"Oh, shut up. Leave me alone. Are you done yet? Class is in 10 minutes."

"I am finished." Sicheng said suddenly. He began to pile all the trays on his own. Getting up from the short table, his foot caught on the bench, sending him sprawling across the floor, food splattering everywhere. Some pudding somehow landed under Taeyong's eye. The cafeteria was silent for a solid two seconds before bursting into laughter and applause. Taeyong shot up and raced to help him up. There was sauce all down his shirt and rice stuck in his hair with a nice glob of pudding all over the front of his jeans.

"Are you okay?" Taeyong asked over the noise of the students. Sicheng nodded, but there were tears forming in his eyes. Not only that, but his ears and cheeks were flaring with embarrassment. "Let's go get you cleaned up." Taeyong glanced at his friends who were laughing their asses off. He just glared at them before leaving for the bathroom.

Practically dragging the kid, Taeyong burst into the bathroom. Luckily, it was empty. Letting go of his friend's hand, he immediately he grabbed paper towels and soaked them. Sicheng stood near the doorway, arms limp at his sides, head hung. Taeyong was furious. He took a fistful of Sicheng's shirt so he could try and wipe away the food. After a few minutes of violent rubbing, Taeyong noticed that Sicheng was sniffling. Of course he was crying. He was just embarrassed in front of the entire student body. Taeyong lifted up Sicheng's chin. There was a smear of something unidentifiable. Taeyong looked into his red, puffy eyes. Tears were still falling onto his cheeks. Sicheng's expression softened slightly.

Taeyong could feel himself leaning forwards. The Chinese boy seemed to be leaning in, too. Who started leaning first was unclear. All that mattered was that they kissed. A salty-sweet kiss. Taeyong had never kissed a boy, so he didn't know what to expect. But it was just like kissing a girl. Sicheng's lips were so warm and soft, perfectly fit for Taeyong's. The taller boy pulled away first, breathing quite heavily. The two pressed their foreheads together. Taeyong looked down at his hands. One was tightly balled around the shirt, the other was holding onto Sicheng's waist, drenched towels on the floor.

Taeyong returned to the sinks and Sicheng leaned against one. This made him somewhat shorter, allowing Taeyong to gently wipe his face. Neither boy said anything for awhile. But that was okay. Sicheng couldn't express his feelings with his limited Korean and Taeyong couldn't express his feelings accurately, even though he was Korean.

Sicheng just smiled as Taeyong worked diligently to get all the food off of him. Taeyong caught him staring and his cheeks became rosy. Neither one of them knew what their future relationship would be like. Would they just be friends? More than that?

Just as Taeyong had finished cleaning up the towels, his friends walked in. They were joking with each other, having fun. Taeyong glared at them.

"Whoa, what's with the death stare?" Ten asked.

"You didn't help."

"Should we have? I didn't know he was a child who needed taking care of." Jaehyun replied. "He's a big boy, Tae," he said condescendingly.

"So? He's new. It's called being nice. You should try it sometime." Taeyong shot back.

"Whatever, Taeyong. Come talk to us when you've quit pouting. See you later," Jaehyun and Ten walked back out, snickering.

"Sicheng, why are they so frustrating sometimes?! I swear, I could not talk to them for a whole week and neither one of them would notice." Taeyong felt like he could scream.

Sicheng stayed quiet. He pointed at the clock. Taeyong realized that it was time to get back to class.

"Hey, when school is out, meet me by the big tree in front. You can come over afterwards if you want." Taeyong smiled.

"Okay! See you then! Thank you for cleaning me." Sicheng smiled back, eyes still a little puffy, but it wasn't that noticeable. He reached his hands out to cover Taeyong's cheeks. Sicheng pressed his lips quickly and gently to his nose and was quickly out the door.

Taeyong washed his hands for the last time before heading to the door. As he grabbed the handles he realized what just gone on.

"Wow. Well that happened."


	2. {Chapter 2}

The rest of the day was a blur. Taeyong couldn't focus on anything except the kiss. His leg was shaking up and down, eyes were glued to the clock. Finally, the bell rang. He had already put his books into his bag, so he jumped up and raced to the door. Taeyong could hear his teacher shouting about how he wasn't dismissed, but he didn't care. He had a tree to get to.

More waiting, more nervous ticks. Taeyong raised his arm too look at his watch every five seconds while his fingers drummed against his thigh. He tried to calm himself by going through dance moves in his head, but it didn't do any good.

After about 20 minutes of waiting and watching students steam out of the doors, Taeyong really began to worry. What if he screwed everything up? What if Sicheng decided that he didn't like Taeyong. What if-

"Hello!" Taeyong jumped at the voice behind him. It was just Sicheng. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey!" He tried to sound as casual as possible. "What took you so long?"

"Oh, sorry. The teacher had more work for me to do." Taeyong frowned slightly. That seemed kind of unfair to him. "But I'm here now!" Sicheng quickly added.

"Yeah, you're right," Taeyong patted the ground next to him. "Come sit."

Sicheng smiled and set his backpack down next to him as he sat. Taeyong well aware that their hands were dangerously close. The two sat in a comfortable silence for a while just enjoying the nice day. It was almost too warm save for the cooling breeze blowing by.

Taeyong had always been upfront with his feelings. He didn't mind confrontation and would prefer talking rather than avoiding; however, this time it was different. Every time he opened his mouth to speak, he felt like is heart was jammed up his throat. He finally gave up on trying to explain his feelings. Well, for now. Instead, Taeyong lightly moved his pinky to touch Sicheng's. Neither boy looked down as their hands found their places around the other, fingers intertwining. Taeyong let out a sigh of relief and couldn't help but grin like an idiot. Out of the corner of his eye, Taeyong could see a hint of a smile playing across Sicheng's lips.

"Taeyong?" He said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"I like you."

"I like you, too." The Chinese boy grin broke out into a smile. Traces of blush dusted his cheeks. In saying this, Taeyong finally attained the courage he had been grasping at for the last ten minutes.

"I like you. I like you a lot," Taeyong continued. "I want to be with you. So badly! I know this is crazy and that we literally met like, 9 hours ago. But I don't care." His voice slowly rose as he went on. "I've never liked anybody this much in my life! I'll scream it from the tops of mountains, I'll sing it in the shower, I'll text you every hour on the dot!" Taeyong stood up and grabbed Sicheng's other hand, pulling him up.

They began dancing around the schoolyard, crazy in love. They spun around and did cart wheels. Taeyong taught Sicheng some dance moves he was learning and Sicheng showed off his all the moves he knew. Such as the sprinkler. The two laughed at each other and with each other. Finally tuckered out, they laid on the grass, faces to the sky, the sun's rays warming their stomachs, and they watched the clouds. They held hands and pointed out shapes with their free one for a while before Taeyong began to drift off. The warmth of the day comforting him like a blanket.

"Hey, Tae." Sicheng nudged him with his shoulder.

"What?" Taeyong kept his eyes closed.

"Let's move to the shade. You can sleep there. I'll do my homework."

"Sounds good, Si."

They swung their arms as the walked back to the tree where they left their backpacks. Sicheng sat criss-cross as he pulled out his books. Taeyong stretched out beside him, head on Sicheng's leg.

"Oh no, this won't do." Taeyong said.

"Why? What do you mean?" Sicheng knit his eyebrows together. Did he do something wrong?

"How do you expect me to sleep like this? I can't stop looking at your adorable face." Taeyong pouted, pretending to be upset.

"Ah, stop that. Don't be cheesy. You're making me blush. I have work to do."

"Blushing just makes you cuter." At this, Sicheng lightly slapped his stomach, but Taeyong just grinned, knowing he had won, and closed his eyes.

While Sicheng really did try to do his homework, he was distracted by Taeyong. He wanted to run his hands through his silky hair and to trace his features. He wanted to plant kisses all over him from his forehead to the tip of his nose to his jaw. Taeyong stretched his arm up and laid his hand next to his head. He wiggled his fingers, signaling for Sicheng to take it. He gave in and slipped his hand into Taeyong's. 

 

Neither boy said anything regarding their relationship ever. And they didn't need to. After that day, they knew exactly how each other felt towards the other. Nobody around them questioned their relationship either. The way they looked at each other is what some people would describe as true love. Each boy took up some habits of the other. For example, Taeyong actually began to turn is homework early and Sicheng started to drum his fingers on whatever surface they were on. This is how everybody, including themselves, knew that they were meant for each other. Not only that, but the way that they were always hanging onto each other like they were going to lose each other was another indication. Of course, neither Taeyong nor Sicheng were afraid of losing the other. Of course they had no reason to be afraid of that, but the two lovers were always touching some part of the other one. Holding hands, trailing their fingers along arms, and scratching their back. Nothing could have been more pure than this. Their love was stronger than any obstacle. Physically, mentally, and emotionally.

"I love you, Taeyong."

"I love you more, Sicheng."


	3. {Chapter 3}

"This semester is killing me," Taeyong said from across the room. He was lying belly-up on his bed. Sicheng was sitting at his desk chair, working on something he wouldn't let his boyfriend see.

"Yeah, me too." Sicheng was barely paying attention to what he was saying.

"Oh please. You have perfect grades!"

"Don't worry. You'll get better." Sicheng's tongue peeked out the corner of his mouth. Whatever he was working on, it sure was hard work.

"Yeah you're right. It's a good thing I have a cute tutor." Taeyong teased. The Chinese boy just rolled his eyes and smiled. "So when-" he was cut off by the phone ringing.

Taeyong answered. "Hello?"

"Hello, this is a representative of SM Entertainment. I'm calling regarding Lee Taeyong's audition. May I speak with him?" A mans voice came from the speaker.

"T-this is him," he managed to sputter out. Sicheng put down his pen and looked at Taeyong curiously. He didn't say anything, but his expression suggested that he wanted to know who was calling.

"Alright. We would like you to know that you have been chosen as a potential trainee. You would begin coming to the SM building every day, every week, excluding the day of your choice. Do you accept?" He asked.

Taeyong didn't hesitate. "Yes."

"Okay Mr. Lee, we will be sending you your schedule for the month. Thank you for choosing SM. We hope to see you soon. Have a good day." And with that, the representative hung up.

"Who was that?" Sicheng immediately asked.

Taeyong stared down at his phone. "Um, that was SM Entertainment. They uh, they want me as a trainee. And I said yes." He looked at Sicheng. His eyes lit up.

"That's amazing! I knew you would get in!" Sicheng hopped out of his chair to embrace his little dancer. "We have to celebrate! Where do you want to go? My treat."

Taeyong took a moment before replying with "McDonald's". What could he say? He was a simple man.

On the way there, Taeyong couldn't feel a pit begin to form in his stomach. This schedule is going to be pretty rigorous. Lots of late nights practicing and learning. When would he have time to be with the light of his life? He felt the need to tell Sicheng that they may not get to see each other as often.

"You can't get rid of me that easy." Sicheng took one hand off the wheel and squeeze Taeyong's thigh in reassurance. He placed his hand over Sicheng's and held it there.

"Sicheng, I'm serious. This is going to be really hard for us eventually."

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll figure something out. Besides its not like I won't see you at school." That's true. Taeyong just had a bad feeling about the future of their relationship.

They were quiet for a few moments. Taeyong, deep in thought about whether he should really begin the life of a trainee. Sicheng, concentrating on the road. He glanced over at Taeyong.

"Oh, please tell me you're not reconsidering? You have to do this, you know."

"I know, but babe, it's just that-"

"Don't 'but babe' me, Taeyong. You have to do this. No other options. I'll drag you there myself if I have to." Sicheng wasn't about to let his boyfriend lose the oppertunity of a life time. Taeyong thought this over.

"You're right. I know. I'm just being stupid." Taeyong held on to Sicheng's hand tighter just as they pulled into he parking lot.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Your first day! I'm so excited for you!" Sicheng was acting like a mother sending her son off on his first day of school.

Taeyong rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, me too. Look babe, I gotta go. They're waiting on me. I'll see you at school tomorrow though, okay?"

"Okay! I love you, Lee Taeyong. Don't forget me when you become famous okay?"

"I would never!" Taeyong laid a hand over his heart in mock-offense. Sicheng gave him a quick peck before sending him away.

Their went their future. Each step he took sent their relationship further and further down his list of priorities. Of course not right away, but slowly as he began to spend hours upon hours at SM, he spent less and less time with Sicheng.

Eventually Sicheng got used to being rejected by his boyfriend. He was always too busy learning a new move or he was at rapping lessons. Sicheng didn't hate him or anything. He was happy that Taeyong found a career path that he enjoyed. But he got tired of staying up 'till all hours of the night just so he could say 'goodnight' and 'I love you' before falling asleep, phone still in hand.

Now this isn't to say that they never saw each other. They still had a few dates here and there, whenever Taeyong could manage to fit one in. And there was still school of course. But Taeyong was graduating this year, and that would be the end.

Eventually, their contact with each other became less and less. To the point where they were practically strangers again. Asking simple questions like "how are you?" and "how was your day?".

One day, the Chinese exchange student got a call from his mother in China.

"Sicheng... Baby..." Her voice was shaking. It sounded like she had been crying. "Your father just passed away. I need you to come back to China.


	4. {Chapter 4}

Sicheng picked up his phone and scrolled through his recent texts.   
Mom  
Qian Kun  
Mr. Ling   
Huang Zitao  
Wu Yifan  
Lee Taeyong

They hadn't talked in months. In fact, Taeyong didn't even know Sicheng was back in China. Sicheng tapped Taeyong's chat. He sent a little "hi", not expecting a reply.

Not a second later, his phone buzzed.

"Hey"

"How've you been?"

"Good. Lots of training."

"Oh yeah haha"

"How about you?"

"Pretty good. I'm back in China."

"What? Since when?"

"Three months ago."

"Oh"

"Yeah"

"Hey I gotta go. My instructor is calling me back over. Ttyl?"

"Yeah. Ttyl."

Nothing for hours. Hours became days. Days became weeks. Sicheng had completely given up on what was once the purest love on the planet. He wasn't going to hang around at home all day, getting his hopes up waiting for a reply.

He had a date to catch. Sicheng pulled a nice sweater over his head and a pair of black jeans. It was nothing big. Just a coffee shop date. He had met the guy at school. They were in the same grade and took a lot of classes together. Plus, they were both honors students. Though they had a lot in common, they didn't really have a lot to talk about. Their interests were just too different. One's settling on the academic end of the spectrum, the other's stood somewhere along the lines of adventurousness. The only reason he had accepted was because Sicheng thought the guy was kind of cute.

"So what do you do in your free time?" Sicheng asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Oh, I don't have a lot of free time. I have so many extra classes I'm taking this year. I used to watch anime a lot, though." There was hope just yet.

"Oh really? What did you watch?" Sicheng began to lightly drum his fingers against the table top. 

"Mostly Deathnote, Once Piece, and Tokyo Ghoul."

"Oh cool." Was all he said.

The conversation dragged on like this for the next hour or so before Sicheng made up an excuse to leave. He said he had an appointment. His date offered him a ride, but was turned down. It would just be faster if he took a cab. Or so he said.

Sicheng stood up from the table. "I had a good time." He plastered a smile on his face. He tried so hard to make it not look like a cringe.

"Me too. Maybe we can do this again?"

"Hopefully!" If there was one thing Sicheng was used to, it would be faking optimism.

As he made his way to the trash can, he suddenly thought of Taeyong. How he missed their dates. How they used to go to aquariums and planetariums. How there fingers always found a way to intertwine on their own, like magnets.

His eyes began to tear up at the thought of the past. The nostalgia was too great. Maybe he would walk home instead. Just as he exited the door, he heard a voice behind him.

"Sicheng?" He let the tears carve their trails down his cheeks as he let his shoulders sag with relief and happiness.

Sicheng thought he would never hear that voice again unless it was on the tv. He thought he would never hear the voice of his once lover again unless it was through his phone from past voicemails. He thought he would never hear that voice again unless it was from videos he had sent. Sicheng never thought he would hear the voice of Lee Taeyong ever again. And yet here he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I wanted to leave the story open ended! I like it that way best because you can imagine your own ending pfff I hope you enjoyed this short little fic! Thank you for reading!! <3


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